Dru-Zod
General Dru-Zod is a member of the House of Zod and comes from the future. He is the son of Lyta-Zod and Seg-El and the grandson of Jayna-Zod. Because he's Seg's son, this makes Zod the uncle of his future nemesis, Kal-El. Biography Prelude At some point in time, General Zod was born to Lyta-Zod and Seg-El, though he had long believed his father to be an unnamed soldier who died in Kandor. He later told his father Seg, after figuring out the truth, that Lyta never told him anything about him due to being upset that Seg was captured by Brainiac alongside Kandor. In the future, Zod was banished to the Phantom Zone. There he learned about Brainiac after encountering Val-El, who unbeknownst to either of them was his paternal great-grandfather. Zod later betrayed Val to escape the Phantom Zone, leaving him behind. After that he went on to become an enemy to his nephew Kal-El, known to the universe as the superhero Superman. General Zod went back in time to save Krypton from being destroyed by Brainiac, whose decision to take the city of Kandor would cause the planet's core to become unstable. He joined Black Zero and some joined his cause after he told them, quickly rising through the ranks. Season 1 "The Word of Rao" uniform]] Dru-Zod encounters and captures his father Seg-El, knowing only that he is an El with some knowledge of Brainiac. After verifying that Seg is not a Sentry, Dru strikes a deal with Seg to free the then-imprisoned Lyta-Zod in exchange for Seg's cooperation to find Rhom, who was infected by a Sentry. Seg reneges and escapes into the Outlands however, taking Dru's captive Raika with him. "House of Zod" Searching through the Outlands, Dru locates Seg and returns him to the catacomb where he had made his base. Dru castigates Seg for releasing Raika during his escape, who was key to finding the weapon of mass destruction named Doomsday, who Dru intended to use to kill Brainiac. He is interrupted by the arrival of Lyta-Zod and Adam Strange, there to rescue Seg, and Dru fights with Lyta until he recognizes her as his own mother. "Civil Wars" ]] Dru explains his purpose in coming back through time to save Krypton from Brainiac. Despite Adam Strange insisting Dru not be trusted, Dru manages to convince Lyta-Zod and Seg-El of his benevolent intentions and Adam's malevolent ones, prompting them to unite with Dru to find Doomsday while locking Adam up. After being lead to the Doomsday Vault by Seg, Dru and Seg use their blood together (the blood of El and Zod) to open the Vault. Before they can release Doomsday however, they are interrupted by the Cythonnites who drive them off and severely wound Dru. As Dru retreats, Seg assures Dru that they will save Krypton from Brainiac without Doomsday due to the danger Doomsday represents to the universe. "Transformation" Dru, in severe pain, is taken to a healer in Kem's bar. Upon waking from his ministrations he meets Jayna-Zod, his maternal grandmother, who stares at him intently. She questions his terroristic actions, saying that a Zod wouldn't do such a thing, and Dru justifies himself as working to save all of Krypton. Dru then goes along with Seg's plan to unveil the Voice of Rao as an alien to turn the people against him, but it backfires when the Voice claims transcendence and rebirth. "Savage Night" After concocting another plan to take down the Voice of Rao, Dru seeks out Jax-Ur and Black Zero for assistance. He arranges a deal to provide Daron-Vex in exchange for their help and accompanies the assault on the Voice in the Genesis Chamber. Though incapacitated by the Voice, his allies manage to shoot the Voice and send him falling into the genesis apparatus. "Hope" With the Voice having survived, and with no one able to locate him, Dru convinces Lyta-Zod to use Doomsday. Upon arriving at the Doomsday Vault however, he finds that Seg and Jayna have beat them too it and have moved Doomsday. Even so, as he opened the doors to where he believed Doomsday was Dru revealed that he had figured out he was Seg's son, making him both an El and a Zod. With Jayna-Zod holding him captive, he challenges her to a Kandorian Duel to the death. He nearly loses, but Lyta intervenes by shooting Jayna, her own mother, in the back, saving Dru. Jayna escapes and Dru departs to bring back Val-El, in a last ditch attempt to save Krypton. "The Phantom Zone" ]] When Brainiac arrives on Krypton, Dru reveals that he met Val in the Phantom Zone and betrayed him, leaving him trapped while Dru escaped. Dru then brings Val back from the Phantom Zone in hopes that his genius could stop Brainiac. However, Val indicates that he had seen millions of alternate futures, all which end with Brainiac taking Kandor. When Val reluctantly admits that he had never seen a future where he left the Phantom Zone, Dru takes this as proof that they could still change things. Dru then heads to Brainiac, offering to trade Val for Krypton's safety, knowing that the alien would want Val's knowledge of the future. However, when the two go to Val's Fortress of Solitude, Seg tricks Brainiac into being banished to the Phantom Zone, and is drawn into the zone himself when Brainiac grabs him, all the while with Dru watching on. When Val-El attempts to reopen the Phantom Zone to save his grandson, Dru quickly destroys the portal in order to prevent Brainiac from returning, causing the emblem of Kal-El's cape to change from a House of El to a House of Zod symbol due to his actions. A month later, Dru takes control of Kandor with aid from Dev-Em and Lyta, and proudly claims that they were first going to conquer Krypton, boosting the military's power by making the rankless part of the Sagitari, before conquering other worlds to form an intergalactic empire. Season 2 "Light-Years From Home" After taking control of Kandor's Sagitari, Dru-Zod proceeds to conquer the other Kryptonian city states, conscripting anyone (including the Rankless) and "disappear(ing)" anyone in opposition. Sometime during these events, Val-El attempts to restore his Phantom Zone projector to save Seg-El from the Zone, but his Fortress of Solitude is seized by Zod. By the time of Adam Strange's return to Kandor, Zod has taken the entire planet, but not the single city state on one of Krypton's moons, Wegthor, which he has besieged. Dru-Zod is seen using a hologram to issue a speech throughout the city, thanking Seg-El for his "sacrifice" to banish Brainiac and see "a better tomorrow." Citizens are also encouraged to report both Wegthor "rebels" as well as "dissenters," per Zod's policy. hostage]] During this time, Zod's aims lie on Wegthor, whose mines could be used to fuel his intergalactic fleet. He is also searching for Doomsday for use as a weapon against planets that resist annexation, but Lyta-Zod convinces him to take over the search for Doomsday while she herself battles the Resistance. Zod accepts, and has Lyta capture Nyssa-Vex and her son Cor-Vex, Zod's half brother. Using Cor as a hostage, Zod blackmails Nyssa into bringing Val-El back into the fold and defeat the Resistance. "Ghost In The Fire" Dru-Zod enters comforting Lyta-Zod, mourning the loss of Seg-El. When they receive reports that two Sagitari skimmers had been destroyed by Doomsday in the Outlands. Lyta-Zod insists that the Sagitari Dru-Zod had conscripted are not prepared for that kind of action, nor the invasion of Wegthor, and asks to be sent to Wegthor to train recruits. Dru acknowledges that she should train recruits, but insists that she stay in Kandor to do it. Dru also sends Nyssa-Vex along the Hypersonic Orbital Tether to Wegthor in order to infiltrate the Resistance with a piece of information as bait to gain their trust. reporting to General Zod]] Receiving a report that Lyta-Zod had shattered Lor-Ran's jaw during training, Dru comes to confront Lyta. She expresses her sorrow to Dru, and so Dru brings Cor-Vex, Seg-El's son, to Lyta to hold. Although reluctant, Dru convinces Lyta that the only way to stop the pain is to let go of the past, that the only way Seg's legacy will have meaning is by embracing the future. When Nyssa reports back to Dru, he is concerned that she did not report hours ago, and insists she work harder to regain the Resistance's trust as quickly as possible so that she can get Jax-Ur's Codex for the Genesis Chamber. "Will To Power" After Lyta-Zod admonishes General Zod that the casualty rate on Wegthor is too high, Zod agrees, saying that he doesn't like seeing any Kryptonian life lost, as he saw the entire planet destroyed in an alternate timeline. He goes on to say that Lyta herself taught him about hard sacrifices, but Lyta fires back that she doesn't know "that person," as she hasn't seen what her future self saw, and asks Zod for the opportunity to do so by sending her to Wegthor herself to oversee operations and broker a surrender. Dru becomes emotional, saying that she's the most vital person to him. ]] Later, Dru summons Lyta to share a drink with him, relenting to her request to go to Wegthor. Dru explains that he was initially afraid to send her, not because he doubts her competence, but because he doesn't want to lose his mother twice. He explains how his mother originally died, wracked with guilt at the loss of Kandor, her Sagitari, and the love of her life. Zod chokes down his tears, saying he won't let his past taint the future, and after embracing her, he orders Lyta to prepare to leave for Wegthor. "Danger Close" Having been informed of Seg-El's presence by Lyta-Zod, Dru-Zod enters as Seg is looking down at his child, Cor-Vex, whom Dru is holding hostage against Nyssa's cooperation. Lyta leaves, and Dru tries to convince Seg to work with him, apologizing for trapping Seg in the Phantom Zone as a necessity to keep Brainiac contained, and saying how proud he is to be Seg's son, who killed Brainiac. Seg is unmoved however, having seen visions of the future where Zod goes too far and even kills Lyta, and implores Dru to moderate himself, that he has "a chance to be the best of both houses", but Zod only responds "No, Seg. You do." Zod asks Seg to help him conquer Wegthor, then he then sends Seg away to a medical facility. reconditioned]] He later arrives at the Somatic Division to discover that Seg-El has uncovered his brainwashing of Lyta-Zod. He says that he regrets that this has happened, and that he hoped Seg would come to his side on his own, that Seg may even grow to love Dru-Zod as his son, but that ultimately they'll never know. He orders Seg to be reconditioned before departing. "A Better Yesterday" ]] Receiving a report from Lyta-Zod of his mission's success, Dru is pleased until Seg-El suddenly enters the room, who incapacitates him and holds him at gunpoint. Dru is bewildered at how Seg resisted the reconditioning, demanding to know how Seg did so. Seg looks to his side at Brainiac, but Zod does not see anyone standing there. Seg tells the empty air to "shut up," raising Zod's suspicions, until he is ordered to walk and undo Lyta's reconditioning. interrogates Dru-Zod over his use of Somatic Reconditioning]] At another chamber, Seg orders Dru to deprogram Lyta against his protestations, insisting that they were never a family. Due to the solar flare however, Zod is unable to do so, and so Seg instead interrogates Zod. Asking how many people Zod reconditioned, Zod justifies himself as it being necessary for them to understand the breadth of his ambition, and that he barely even changed Lyta, only taking away her guilt at shooting her mother and her loneliness at having lost Seg. Zod insists that even if Lyta is shown the truth, she made her own decisions, and that she would side with him rather than Seg, as she did when she sided with him against her own mother. as Jax-Ur announces Lyta-Zod as her hostage]] Contacting Lyta under orders from Seg, Dru notices Jax-Ur on the line with Lyta as a hostage. While Seg is distracted, Dru disarms and captures Seg. He capitulates to Jax's demand and has his Sagitari evacuate Wegthor, asking if Seg still doubts that he'd do anything to keep Lyta safe. He tells Seg that all he ever wanted was to make his father proud of him, but when Seg says they can talk Dru cuts him off, saying that he no longer needs or wants that. He says he no longer needs anything from Seg, before knocking him out cold. to prevent Dev-Em from shooting him, forcing Dev to shield Jayna]] Talking with Lyta, Dru insists that he won't allow her to die, even though she repeatedly insists on being left so that he can continue his vision of conquering Wegthor. Seg than jumps up, trying to warn Lyta, but Dru deactivates the connection before he can. He then fights with Seg, beginning to strangle him, until Jayna-Zod and Dev-Em arrive. Zod pulls a knife on Seg as a hostage to save himself, saying that Jayna wouldn't shoot her daughter's lover, at which point Dev goes to take the shot. Reacting fast, Zod throws a knife at Jayna just before Dev can shoot, forcing him to stop and grab it out of the air while Zod escapes to raise the alarm. Later, Jax-Ur comes back onto the Kandor broadcasting system, accusing Zod of being a liar, having supposedly discovered a large detachment of Sagitari lying in ambush while decoys boarded the Space Elevator. Zod responds saying "no" to himself, whether in disbelief or realization is unclear, just before he watches in horror as Jax cut open his mother's throat on screen. "In Zod We Trust" , mourning the death of his mother]] Enraged that he has seen his mother die a second time, and that the rebels are still broadcasting her death on Kandor's broadcast system, Dru drops a Sagitari officer out of a tower to plummet to his death for failing to deal with the problem. Nyssa-Vex then contacts him, saying she has the Codex and that she will give it to him in exchange for Cor-Vex, but Dru says the "situation has changed". In response, Nyssa threatens to destroy the Codex if he does not give up her son, and Dru is astounded that she would doom their entire race to extinction over her son. Nyssa says she will do whatever it takes to protect her family, and in his grief at Lyta's loss, Dru understands, and gives his word that he will agree to the deal, cutting Nyssa off as she becomes suspicious. Dru later makes contact with Val-El, demanding Jax-Ur on threat of annihilation, saying he does not care for Val's respect, only his obedience. It is also revealed that he broke his word to Nyssa, and intended to simply capture her and take the Codex from her. He arrives at the Science Guild to question their progress on a Codex-powered genetic weapon, and orders them to have it ready within an hour of the Codex's arrival. Conveniently, Nyssa-Vex soon arrives with the Codex and, after forcing Zod's hand due to the Codex being linked to her voice, she retrieves her son before activating the Codex for Zod. Although Zod offers to let her work with him, Nyssa instead jumps out a window and escapes in Seg-El's skimmer, Zod and his guards firing after them. While they escape, Zod gives the Codex to his engineers, demanding they finish his weapon within the hour. ]] Val-El contacts Zod, and Zod offers clemency for Val only, provided that he joins him in the Science Guild. Val refuses however, and pulls out a detonator. Zod demands to know what it is, until Val activates it, causing the Space Elevator to explode. General Zod then arrives at the Science Guild, demanding the weapon, but Val's failsafe corrupted the data. The scientists managed to retrieve some data, but are uncertain if it would work without tests. Zod does not care however, and only says that he will test it "in the field". He goes, alone, to confront Doomsday in the Outlands, and prepares to shoot him with it. "Zods and Monsters" While the first two shots have no effect, a third shot from Dru hits Doomsday full in the face, and the monster collapses at Dru's feet. Dru then gives a speech to Kandor, saying that the terrorists on Wegthor want them to feel fear, but Zod instead says that he sees courage, and announces that the first fleet of space ships are complete, and above all, and that Doomsday is now under his control, who will go to Wegthor and wipe out the rebels. In actuality, Doomsday is merely "deactivated", and Dru is attempting to use Somatic Reconditioning to gain complete control. Dru complains that it is taking too long, and although his lead scientist cautions that rushing could damage Doomsday's ability to process, Dru says he doesn't need Doomsday to "make speeches", and orders her to press on. They discover a memory from Doomsday, 1,000 years ago when he was named Dax, of him being tortured until death and resurrected again to become immune to said torture, until impervious to all lethal damage. With this knowledge, Dru sends his lead scientist away, and compliments Doomsday, calling him a hero, and misunderstood. He says they are alike in protecting "Mother Krypton", and that Doomsday will fulfill his destiny. Using his knowledge, he recites Enaj's name, wakening Doomsday. Dru then retires to his tower, until he sees Brainiac's Skull Ship rise up from the ground. Dropping his drink, Dru rushes to order his Sagitari into their skimmers, but they only watch in awe as Brainiac's ship powers up and vanishes. "Mercy" 's progress]] Dru becomes frustrated at the lack of progress in enslaving Doomsday. Lis-Ser, his scientist, is unable to use psychoactive drugs as Doomsday is immune to all native-Kryptonian toxins. Thinking to use a drug not native to Krypton, Dru takes Lis-Ser to a room where a Black Mercy, a parasitic plant, has attached itself to the real Lyta-Zod; the Lyta who died was her somatically reconditioned clone. The Black Mercy secretes a toxin that creates alternate realities within one's mind, and Dru instructs Lis-Ser to extract said toxin and to use it on Doomsday. Lis-Ser protests that it might break Lyta's hallucination, but Dru is insistent, saying that Lyta has been tested before and can withstand it. When Lis-Ser notes that the toxin could keep someone within an alternate reality effectively indefinitely, Dru explains that the only way to escape is to reject the illusion, something that few can do and that fewer still who would do. He then threatens Lis-Ser to continue working when she expresses concern for Lyta. Although the initial dosage is successful, Lis-Ser requires more toxin, so he allows her to extract more while going to deal with the recently captured Nyssa-Vex and Seg-El. There, Seg accuses him of letting Lyta die while Dru fires back that Val blew up the Space Elevator base station, yet is not demonized as he is. When they are not forthcoming with information, Dru orders them detained until he can recondition Nyssa. Dru later gets a report that the pair have escaped, and when he realizes that Lyta has escaped with them, he vows to destroy every last soul on Wegthor. Future Due to Zod's actions in Krypton's past and Brainiac no longer having taken Kandor, the timeline was completely altered. Adam Strange, having been thrown forward in time after saving Seg's life, found himself in a human city that had been bottled in Brainiac's ship, and sees a statue of Zod. This suggests that not only does Zod conquer other worlds, Earth included, but he also starts using Brainiac's ship to bottle cities. Personality Dru-Zod is utterly dedicated to Krypton and Kandor, willing to sacrifice anything, anyone, or go to any length to save Krypton from its future destruction. Anything else, everything else is judged based upon its relevance to that aim. Even when his own honor is sullied by Lyta-Zod interrupting his Kandorian Duel with Jayna-Zod, he quickly recovers and discards it in order to focus on saving Kandor. He is even willing to murder his own family, such as his grandmother Jayna or great grandfather Val-El, in order to pursue the preservation of Krypton, and is more than content to condemn the entirety of the universe so long as Krypton endures. As a general, he is extremely disciplined and works well alone or in groups. He is willing to hear arguments and even work with previous enemies to pursue his goals, but does not abide any obstruction to his chosen path. Despite his ruthlessness, his outlook is not without reason. He was molded by his mother to be a weapon, something he takes pride in and was shaped by the tragedy of Krypton's explosion and his mother's grief at being unable to stop Brainiac from bottling Kandor. He loves his planet, his home, and wants to see it thrive. He will simply stop at nothing to see it happen. Appearances Season 1 *"Pilot" (holographic image) *"The Word of Rao" *"House of Zod" *"Civil Wars" *"Transformation" *"Savage Night" *"Hope" *"The Phantom Zone" Season 2 *"Light-Years From Home" *"Ghost In The Fire" *"Will To Power" *"Danger Close" *"A Better Yesterday" *"In Zod We Trust" *"Zods and Monsters" *"Mercy" *"Blood Moon" *"The Alpha and the Omega" Trivia *Before Seg was revealed as his father, Dev-Em was suspected to be Zod's father; however, this could change if Seg doesn't go back to Lyta. *Because he trapped Seg in the Phantom Zone, Zod jeopardized ﻿﻿his own existence. *With the death of his mother, Zod's existence should be in question. It was later revealed however that Lyta was a clone. Therefore, Zod's existence was never in danger. References Category:House of Zod Category:House of El Category:Male Characters Category:Villains